Cigarette



Jan. 5, 194-3. E. o. WHITELEY 2,307,088

CIGARETTE Filed March 10, 1939 uvmvron fowAko 0. WHITELEY ATTORNG'X Patented Jan. 5, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE CIGARETTE Edward Oldroyd Whiteley, New York, N. Y. Application March 10, 1939, Serial No. 260,966

3 Claims.

This invention relates to cigarettes and hasfor its principal object an improved cigarette in which the ash will not tend to flutter off and fall over the floor and ones clothing as the cigarette is burned. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description. i

In the drawing, the figure is a greatly enlarged side view of a partially burned cigarette, incorporating my invention, and with a portion of the unsmoked cigarette broken awayto reveal the fiber within In further detail I designates the outer paper wrapping of the cigarette, 2 is the burned portion after about half of the cigarette has been smoked, 3 is the ash supported within a network of partially fused glass fibers 4, the tobacco is designated 5, while the unfused glass fiber is designated 6 both mixed in the tobacco and incorporated in the paper wrapper I.

Briefly described my improvement in cigarettes comprises the admixture with the tobacco of inert materials adapted to strengthen or stabilize the ashes as they are formed so that they will be to a considerable degree self-sustaining, and need therefore only occasionally be broken off to deposit in an ash receptacle, and will not tend constantly to fleck ofi andfall or blow off with the slightest draught of air. In addition to the above I preferably strengthen the ash of the paper smoking.

wrapper so that it forms an additional external support for the ashes of more or less continuous though porous tubular form. As the stabilizing elements which I use both in the tobacco as well as in the paper wrapper are inert and sterile, and

not adapted to be consumed by the heat of the burning tobacco and paper which forms the combustible structure of the cigarette, there is no change of flavor or aroma of the cigarette in the As an ash strengthening material for admixture with the tobacco preparatory to forming the cigarettes I may use any non-toxic fibers of cellulose which have been suitably purified to remove flavors'and which have been rendered fire-proof as by treating with fire-proofing liquids or emulsions such as colloidal solutions-of magnesia, so-

dium silicate, preferably in combination withv I may alsouse in admixture with the above fibers: or admixture with the tobacco only, fibers of spun glass or roasted and purified asbestos.

If glass fibers are used I prefer to use a glass made from potassium and calcium silicates with added oxide of boron so as to yield a glass fiber when spun which will have a very low coefilcient of expansion, as well as considerable flexibility and resistance to heat, so as tocontribute these properties to the ash as,a whole.

The glass fiber is, before thorough admixing with the tobacco, pro-treated by giving it a thin coating of a hygroscopic substance such as glycerine, licorice extract or admixtures, and pref- I erably with a small percentage of extract of natural tobacco. ment or shaking out of the glass fibers. fiber may be either sprayed or dipped and centrifuged and the treated glass fiber is admixedto the extent of about 10% with the tobacco, the proper amount depending to a certain extent on the natural stability of the ash of the particular tobacco used, it being desirable to use no more of the strengthening fiber than required to give a reasonable stability to the ash.

I find by tests of cigarettes made as above described that they may be smoked to half or more of their length without the stabilized ash falling off, thus adding greatly to'the convenience and enjoyment of smoking. The glass fibers appear to fuse slightly at points of touching so as to make a network of supports throughout theash. The same treatment may be applied to cigars, though not quite so conveniently as the filler material used in cigar making is not so finely divided and mixed as it is in cigarette making.

As before mentioned, I may also strengthen the paper wrapper of the cigarette with the glass or other fire-proof fibers. In the process of manufacturing the cigarette paper-plus glass fiber I use any workable, system of adding the glass fiber to the cellulose pulp. I give two examples:

breaking down the fiber, this oper'ationbeingi tars or oils distilled or extracted from natural (1) The glass fiber is added to the cellulose pulp by feeding it slowly during theslow rotation of the mixing paddles or heaters, to avoid done immediately before the run is made on to the wire screen former.

v (2) The glass fiber is fed evenly from a revolving conveyor-as a thin layer to the cellulose pulp immediately where thepulp runs on to the wire former at the wet end.

In bothmethods thefine glass fiber is forced into theformed pulp under. pressure of the hot rolls and becomes part of the composite massof This coating prevents displace- The it should be noted that while I have mentionedseveral fire-proof fibers as suitable for the purpose, any other fibers having similar properties may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention as included within the scope of my appended claims.

My use of the word cigarette in the claims is also intended to include a cigar in which my invention is incorporated.

I claim:

1. A cigarette provided with a filling of tobacco admixed with inert fire resisting fibers adapted to strengthen the ash when the cigarette is burned, said fibers coated with an adhesive substance adapted to prevent displacement of said fibers.

2. A cigarette provided with a filling of tobacco admixed with inert fire resisting fibers adapted to strengthen the ash when the cigarette is burned, saidfibers coated with an adhesive substance including licorice adapted to 

